The Accursed Land

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Roughly 3 thousand years before this campaign takes place, Immilmar was an island of religious and magical splendor, rich in its resources and its people. Such was its inhabitants' devotion and prosperity that the gods themselves took a liking towards the island, many establishing elaborate temples in the realm, and cultivating great followings. The gods were said to meet on high directly above Immilmar, and conduct their business in the heavens whilst gazing upon their devoted worshippers below. However, according to legend, one of these meetings ended in tragedy when Bahamut, god of the Just, was abruptly taken by rage, whereupon he threw himself, his famed greatsword Valius drawn, at the rest of the pantheon in startling fury. While many cowered before his abrupt might, the goddess of healing, Lakal, stepped forth, in hopes of calming him before damage was done. Bahamut's madness could not be stopped, however, and Lakal perished under his blade. As she died, the insanity cleared from his eyes, in time for him and the others to witness a strange sight: the body of Lakal, slowly dissolving into hundreds of miniscule crystals, each glowing with a yellow-orange light. These crystals fell to earth in a peculiar shower, raining down upon Immilmar. Most sank into the ground, where they melded with the ores and gems below the island's surface, or fell into the ocean, where they disappeared from sight entirely. Some say that a few landed on the mortal inhabitants of Immilmar, blessing them and their line with supernatural capabilities, and great affinity to magic. While claims of this are without proof, and dubious at best, one effect was clear: From then forth, the metals under the earth across the realm were blessed, able to hold immensely powerful enchantments, and capable of unbelievable arcane powers on their own, when crafted into weapons and tools. This material became known as Guillam, and contributed to the rise of skilled miners, smiths, and enchanters, particularly among the Darvt (term for combined race of both dwarves and gnomes. ) While the realm prospered internally, and nearly every high-ranking family from Zalous to Cavotha soon owned sets of Guillam armor, tools, and weapons, the blessing came at a terrible price: Immilmar was considered cursed, by both god and man. The pantheon all but abandoned the region, Bahamut's priests were shunned by all, and travel to and from the realm all but stopped, as (most) outsiders were not willing to risk the curse of Lakal for a fancy sword. Over time, the Guillam was mined out, and many artifacts were lost, but the metal and resources of Immilmar retained a strange link to the arcane, performing spectacularly when enchanted, and capable of much more than average materials.

The factions of Immilmar were shortly thereafter shaken by the arrival of the Quom, a race of once-fair planetouched descended from Lakal. After the goddess' passing, they had changed, their skin turning ashen-grey, and their eyes a glowing red. They were no longer capable of performing the spells once granted to them by their god, and were thus reduced to a fraction of their former strength. They arrived on the shores of Immilmar prepared for war, however, with a singular goal: the recovery of every last shard of Guillam, be it under the waves, trapped in formed or unmined metal… or within a powerful living subject. Thus began a slaughter, as the Quom killed any and all in their way on their mission to restore their goddess. At last, the factions of Immilmar, rallied together by an Orc Wizard named Marvellus, made a deal with the bloodthirsty planetouched. In exchange for putting down arms against those with Guillam, the Quom were offered refuge on Immilmar, and assistance in recovery of the shards of Lakal from the unmined areas of the realm, and from the sea itself. While this deal was successful in making peace, all knew it was merely a delay of the inevitable, as the Quom founded the city of Voltirs, and disappeared within its walls, evidently plotting for the future. Word soon got out that the High Priest in Voltirs would pay handsomely for any Guillam artifacts brought to him, sparking a rush of mercenaries and criminals into the business of "hunting", or searching for and seizing Guillam. Aristocrats and regents tightened their defences, protecting their precious familial treasures, but the commoners of Immilmar were rushed and slaughtered at the mere mention of an artifact in the area.